Dixie Wingslover

Because there really was a "Lady Byng"?????

The Versus contract was $135 million for two seasons ( 05-06 and 06-07 ) with an OPTION for the third ( 07-08) at $72.5 million. Unable to find out whose option, though..... the league may find itself with NO national deal for next year..... and judging from what has been happening..... Versus doesn't want it. The deal breaker with ESPN last time was the league ( Bettman's) demand that the only channel to carry games was to be the main ESPN.

Hell, they are not even paying any attention at all. I am amazed that the league is not trying to get the hell out of their contract with Versus. Much of the problem with hockey right now is it's lack of visibility.

Yep, still a ways away from Bobby Orr's eight straight

I think that alot of it is a lack of reciprocity..... the network pays the league x amount of dollars under the understanding that the league will re-invest with the network, in the form of advertising dollars at times the sport is not being aired. We all have noticed the NHL does a crappy job of this..... hence they get pushed way down on the networks priority list, in favor of sports that do spend. Thus these sports have leverage and negative consequences if they are unhappy. What is the NHL going to do????? Take away NBC and Versus birthdays????

Funny.... I am less upset with Versus than I am at the league for allowing this sort of thing..... many other sports would be in court in less than two days of this trying to get their contract voided.... but the current LAWYER in charge doesn't have the balls. No wonder the league wants to phase out fighting...... it won't even fight for it's own rights.

Has anyone else noticed there are 82 of us in ths Topic??????

And he beat Pronger and Niedermayer......

This awards show thing is what happens when the league spends way less with Versus on advertising than, say..... ultimate fighting. Ultimate fighting gets the time slot. I don't care who he has to get down on his knees for, Bettman had better figure a way to get back on ESPN's channel line up.... don't they have 4??? Even if he has to get zero revenues from the contract.... and agree to pay $500,000 a year in advertising..... the league MUST get back with ESPN. It is a matter of survival.

Anyone interested in this topic really needs to listen to this interview with the lawyer..... Unfortunate, but I would defintely make a bet that he is moving the team. From what I got out of the interview... it won't happen for 2-3 seasons, but.... becasue of the way the clause is written, it defininitely will happen, the questionis time frame. Worst cast scenario is Preds pay Nashville city $1.2 mil a year for rent..... all the teams in the league carry players with bigger salaries..... and some or all of that rent may be deductible off the bottom line. The Preds are vulnerable..... and a quality team, as they stand. Good chance Balsillie buys them, improves the product, they can take the Cup, and move into Hamilton to raise the banner. I suspect he will not degrade the team. He wants his name on the Cup. Expansion will take too long to build a team, when he has one ready made in the Preds.

Funny.... the sports are very similar..... except how the PBR is marketed.... and it is SLICK. OT - I have this ranch and farm channel on my satellite, and one of the livestock auctions was bucking calves and heifers...... several of Reindeer Dippins 1 month old calves went for over $5000...... amazing...... did you know that the best contractors buck their cows to verify heart????? These animals are totally bred for bucking.

Well, actually, lately, the largest impact on gasoline prices is refinery capacity.... here in the US.

Wahooo! :colorbounce: :banana: :carrot:

Good point... I do feel they are a pretty good early indicator of inflation though....and the numbers from prior years are more easily available for these items. It is just my opinion that unfortunately, the NHL today is..... well for loss of better phrase..... welfare hockey. The cap, cost certainty and revenue sharing are shoring up team management that is poor and was unable to compete. Add in the escrow provision, and you have bad business owners able to keep their business.... and hurt the product overall. Lack of competition is a sure way for a business to be average..... or below.

Where did that come from???? ( Source, please )

Given his playoff performance, and the iffy nature of the break ( shattered )..... I would think he is a bargain at 2.5-2.7 with solid performance bonuses..... he's not gonna get a ride with a better team to hoist the Cup next year...... I predict Dom will be somewhere between 1.2 and 1.7 with similar performance bonuses to this season, maybe up to $500,000. Bertuzzi numbers Ecklund is throwing around are probably close, think he will be in the same range as Cheli as he is so iffy, probably 1 year with bonuses as well. I am a cheapskate from way back, would rather walk away from a deal than over pay. Besides, the teams that over spend are gonna end up taking it back out of players salaries with the escrow thing.... and don't think they don't realize this when they negotiate these days. Thinking of next year and D men.... anybody know what Steve Macintyre is doing these days? He beat up Big Snake, and at 6'6" and 265 lbs...... a two way with the Griffins for a little enforcer, and some payback on another big-a$$ defenseman is just too too tempting He was with the Mallards last season.

Yeah, I do too, interesting thing though.... when you start to look for financial info on hockey clubs..... it just is not there. I can find for NBA, and NFL..... heck, even probably for NASCAR, but very little for hockey. I can tell you I found an article on the best selling jerseys and numbers.... and as of last year, the majority of the ten were retired players. Something really wrong with that. Indicates a lack of excitement by fans for the game as played today.

Ouch, that hurts..... but on the bright side....At least they knew pretty close what the trophy was called....We all have to start someplace. I read a story the other day about a California Wings fan, whose neighbor was making small talk about the Ducks not doing too badly.... and when the Wings fan said, yeah, they are doing well in the playoffs.... she said.... oh, the play offs have started???? In Anaheim. In part we chose North Carolina because of a hockey franchise in the State. It's a pretty mixed bag here as far as fans.... but, we have already been a bad influence on some of the locals.... made him and girlfriend Wings fans.... If we won the Cup, they wanted to go to Michigan with us for the celebration, purchased Center Ice. I know from experience what new hockey fans are interested in..... and it aint clutch and grab. Or head shots.

Like there was ever any doubt..... it still is great news! Welcome back, Cheli!

Ummmm, let's see.... in 2003 a gallon of gas = $1.69; in 2007 a gallon of gas $3.47 in 2003 gallon of milk = $2.50; in 2007 $5.00 Adjusted dollars? Inaccurate reporting by ownership???? For all the money they reported losing..... not too many have been willing to sell their teams and get the hell out, have they? LA Times reported on the overall ratings.... what the Gazette reported seems consistant with the Times. Hey...... a little crazy is not such a bad thing in a hockey player..... especially a goalie. Terry Sawchuk was not all there, and well, Probie.... Besides.... the way I heard it..... he literally ripped both sides of hardwood french doors off the wall. A classic. I always knew he was a little bipolar.......

Waiting? what a shame....... the last THREE times the Wings won the Cup, by 8 am the following morning I was able to go to any one of many/several street corners and purchase all of those items, as well as locker room shirts, hats, $50 polos with the year, Stanley Cup Champions-Detroit Red Wings- EMBROIDERED on them. And did..... In fact, many stores opened at 6 am, now that I think of it..... and I did not live in Detroit. Actually, I lived 70 miles away. Also....... anybody out there can back me up on this....... NOBODY bought stuff with the other teams name on it -

In much the same place, probably. I am one of those eroded.... and have found most of those leaving MI were Red Wings fans...... and still are. My kids will be Wings fans. In North Carolina. Their kids are Wings fans too. Anybody recall a little team called the Green Bay Packers?????? How many fans do they have outside of Wisconsin? Legions. The emotion that runs between Packer Backers and their team, and Wing Nuts, and their team is cut from the same mold. I know this because I was raised by a cheese head in Michigan. I know about displaced fans. Some teams can handle it.... others can't. The Wings will. One of the reasons I know that hockey will go in Milwaukee is a signed puck I have. Chris Chelios. He signed it for my brother one Christmas Eve at the bar, when he, my brother and Suter all sat, shot the s*** and got wasted - in Madison, Wisconsin. He played Badger hockey...... and even non-NHL followers know that in Wisconsin. The ones I had to explain who Cujo was to...... when he had already met him at a party in St Louis

i'm actually north of Charlotte. Grew up and til less than a year ago... lived West of Flint, MI. I miss the hockey, I miss FoxSports Detroit. I miss Mickey and Ken. I miss Little Caesars. But.....C'mon down, half the state is here. Think we all had the same idea. If ya gotta move to live.... might as well make it an adventure. We have a little Wings community. They don't know what to do at the car dealership when on gameday they have 3 salesmen in Wings jerseys and ties........ Priceless........ The Hurricanes may be a smaller club right now, but the fans they have are really enthusiastic. And so far, despite a little homerism, they are fairely knowledgeable about hockey. Now if we could just convince the local NBC affiliate not to pre-empt a hockey play-off game for a little rain..... in favor of radar and weathermen.... we would be in business

OMG - I had forgotten that comment. Wasn't it just the most amazing thing.... the way the crowd would close in on the cars.... and then part, the whole course of the parade. One of my favorite memories is of Hullie and Cheli, blasted sitting on the tailgate of that pick-up, just as happy as could be. And how stunned I was at how small and young looking Datsyuk was that day.

I was there in 2002 when this pic was taken.... we packed in like sardines. 80 plus degrees, no shade and I had people on all sides of me.... less than a foot away. notice how far the sea of red and white extnds out of the plaza